Third quarter burst drives Monageer on to two Junior points

A POWERFUL third quarter propelled Monageer-Boolavogue to an opening day win in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group A in St. Patrick’s Park.

The victors were leading by just a point at the break but outscored their neighbours Ferns by 1-4 to 0-1 in the first 15 minutes after halftime to build a winning lead. With their nippy inside forwards gliding in the heat, they also spurned several goal chances that would have eased their path to the win.

Brian O’Loughlin started the game on fire, putting over the opening three points. However, Ferns began to settle and ended the first quarter in the lead after Anthony Dwyer’s quick-thinking sideways free picked out Paddy O’Leary and he rattled the net.

Monageer-Boolavogue hit back to lead by 0-6 to 1-1, only for Tomás Hawkins to latch onto a breaking ball from a long-range Eoin Murphy free and whip the ball past Morgan Gahan from close range.

Yet, just before the interval, Bryan Dwyer got a goal ins response, drilling home from O’Loughlin’s crossfield ball to give his side a 1-6 to 2-2 half-time lead.

Bookending the break in style, Monageer-Boolavogue hit the net again less than 60 seconds after the re-start when Matthew Dunne ghosted in behind the full-back and made no mistake with his close-range shot.

Leading by 2-10 to 2-3 at the end of the third quarter, the remainder was a formality for Monageer-Boolavogue. Ferns did grab a late consolation major when Ciarán Doran whipped home close to goal but it mattered little to the outcome of the contest.

Monageer-Boolavogue: Morgan Gahan; Lee McHale, Conall Nolan, Ray O’Brien; Patrick Walsh, Patrick Breen, Robbie Donnelly; Seán McCabe, Stephen Lacey (0-3); Shane Kehoe (0-1 free), Niall O’Loughlin (0-6, 5 frees), Bertie Gahan (0-2); Bryan Dwyer (11), Niall Finn, Matthew Dunne (1-1). Subs. - James Sweeney (0-1) for Finn (40), Adrian O’Dowd for Dwyer (55).

Ferns St. Aidan’s: Niall Byrne; Paul Lancaster, Edward Walsh, Peter Nolan; Peter O’Toole, Seán Walsh (0-1 free), Colm Whelan; Derek Thorpe, Eoin Murphy (0-1); P.J. O’Neill, Pádraig Walsh, Anthony Dwyer; Paddy O’Leary (1-0), Tomás Hawkins (1-0), Ben Cowman. Subs. - Jack O’Hagan for E. Walsh, inj. (14), Brian O’Neill for P. Walsh, inj. (29), Ciarán Doran (1-0) for Cowman (41), Edward Cullen (0-4 frees) for Dwyer (41), Jamie Whelan for Hawkins (52).

Referee: Pádraig Byrne (Tara Rocks).